The Best Classic Shepherd’s Pie – AKA Shepards Pie or Cottage Pie. Ground Beef (or lamb) with vegetables in a rich gravy, topped with cheesy mashed potatoes, and baked.
Shepherd’s Pie
So, this is how you spell it: Shepherd’s Pie. But, from doing a quick google search, it came to my attention that TONS of people think it’s Shepards Pie.
Irish Shepherd’s Pie
Traditional Irish Shepherd’s Pie would actually call for ground lamb. The difference between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie is the meat. Cottage Pie uses ground beef, while Shepherd’s Pie uses ground lamb.
I called this recipe Shepherd’s Pie. But, I wrote the recipe so that you could use ground beef or ground lamb.
I typically use ground beef because it is widely available. But, for a special occasion, like St. Patricks day, I would use ground lamb.
How To Make Shepherd’s Pie
(Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)
- Sauté some chopped onions in olive oil.
- Add ground beef or ground lamb.
- Add dried parsley, dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Stir and cook the meat mixture until the meat is browned.
- Add minced garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
- Cook the garlic for a minute.
- Add flour and tomato paste.
- Add beef broth, frozen mixed peas and carrots, and frozen corn kernels.
- Simmer the meat gravy until it is thick.
- Boil some peeled and chopped potatoes until they are soft.
- Drain the potatoes
- Add butter, half & half, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Mash the potatoes until smooth.
- Pour the meat mixture into a casserole dish.
- Top it with the cheesy mashed potatoes.
- Bake until the meat is bubbling and the potatoes are golden.
Easy Shepherd’s Pie
Making the best Shepherd’s Pie is not difficult. But, there are a few steps to it. You have to make the meat mixture, the mashed potatoes, assemble the casserole, and bake it.
I find that the easiest way to make this dish is to work ahead. You could make the beef or lamb mixture ahead of time. Or, you could make the mashed potatoes ahead of time.
You could also make the whole recipe ahead of time. Just assemble the casserole, cover the dish, and keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. I find it is best to bake it within 3 days of preparing it.
When you are ready to bake it, take it out of the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before you need to bake it to let it start coming to room temperature. Uncover it, and bake.
What to serve with The Best Shepherd’s Pie
- Deviled Eggs
- Roasted Broccoli from Skinnytaste
- The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Watch the Video for the Best Classic Shepherd’s Pie Below.
Find more of my recipes on TikTok
Best Classic Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Meat Filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef -or ground lamb
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 garlic cloves -minced
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup frozen mixed peas & carrots*
- 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
Potato Topping:
- 1 ½ - 2 lb. russet potatoes -about 2 large potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter -1 stick
- 1/3 cup half & half
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
Make the Meat Filling.
- Add the oil to a large skillet and place it over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the ground beef (or ground lamb) to the skillet and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and and pepper. Stir well. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the meat is browned, stirring occasionally.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the flour and tomato paste. Stir until well incorporated and no clumps of tomato paste remain.
- Add the broth, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen corn. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Set the meat mixture aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Make the potato topping.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with water. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, 10-15 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander. Return the potatoes to the hot pot. Let the potatoes rest in the hot pot for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining liquid.
- Add butter, half & half, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash the potatoes and stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.
- Add the parmesan cheese to the potatoes. Stir until well combined.
Assemble the casserole.
- Pour the meat mixture into a 9x9 (or 7x11) inch baking dish. Spread it out into an even layer. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat. Carefully spread into an even layer.
- If the baking dish looks very full, place it on a rimmed baking sheet so that the filling doesn’t bubble over into your oven. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.** Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Check out all of my great ground beef recipes.
Absolutely PERFECT!
So happy I chose this recipe from all of the available choices on-line.
So far I have made this with beef, venison, and buffalo all great !
I usually wing it , never made this before so I followed the recipe to a T , instead of a baking dish I put everything in my cast iron , looks and taste amazing .Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Excellent recipe. My husband loves Shepherd’s pie, and he said this was the best he’s ever eaten. This is our new go-to recipe. Thanks very much!
Delish. I added some already cooked bacon to the meat and potatoes. Also topped with a blended cheddar cheese. YUMMY in my Tummy! Did the dish in cast iron skillet for a bit mor crusty bottom.
Making this tomorrow. What temperature?
Easy recipe with great flavor!
can i use instant potatoes?
I think Or-Ida Loaded instant mashed potatoes would be excellent with this!
Yes you can, just add the butter, cheese, and seasoning to the instant..milk if needed
400 Degrees F
I’ve tried this recipe with minor modification of mixed shredded cheese (cheddar,mozzarella,parmesian) and it turned out terrific. Mucho Thanks.
I adore sheperds pie but I’ve never made it myself. This is one of the best I’ve ever had! Thank you so much for sharing <3
Great recipe! I did one with beef and one with turkey and my family of 8 loved it!
I don’t see the temp to bake this pie
It says preheat to 400 degrees F…. #6 under meat filling part
400 degrees. Hidden in the instructions.
I’ve made this twice, and my husband and daughter LOVE it! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Love this recipe, I so us sharp cheddar cheese, mixed veggies!
I freeze it and are it horse camping!
I add a little chedder between the meet and potatoes. I also use a pie crust as it helps to keep it in form and also truly makes it “pie” like. I do use a little bit more Worcestershire sauce and also Italian herbs in the potatoes. I also cook the peas, carrots, and corn with the onion to deepen the flavors. I like to fire roast fresh corn when I have the time. Amazing recipe. Love it and so does everyone else.
What does “fire roast corn” mean? Sounds delicious!
Hello made this for a friend she is wanting me to make more for the freezer. Is this recipe freezer friendly?
Yeah, as with anything, it loses a slight bit of quality after being reheated from frozen, but it is plenty freezer friendly.
If you’re making it specifically for the freezer I might recommend freezing it after assembly and only baking it when you intend to serve it.
I have never liked Shepard’s pie to be honest, as the first time I made it I found it was too much work and it didn’t taste good. Now, my daughter loves Shepard’s pie and has been begging me months now to make it again. When I saw this recipe I decided it was not too bad and decided to give it a try tonight. My goodness it turned out really good. I followed the recipe and it came it perfect. My daughter is as so happy and said it’s the best she has ever tasted. It made her night. Thank you
Loved it! Making this again! Thx for sharing!
I am from Germany and tried this pie! It is delicious!! Many thanks!!! I will recommend this receipt 🙂
I never follow a recipe exact. I usually add a few things or switch out ingredients.
Instead of canned or frozen veggies I used fresh and sauteed them as I cooked the onion and garlic. I added better than boulian beef flavor to the beef stock for more depth. I used italian seasoning along with the other seasonings in the recipe.
My potatos… I added sour cream along with the other suggested ingredients… added rosemary, italian seasoning and chives as well. We LOVE flavor here.
This recipe is incredible…. I have been using it as a base for years and build off of it as family taste buds change
Thanks for the incredible post
I made some modifications to this. We don’t eat meat so I substituted Impossible plant-based meat. I used more Worcestershire sauce, fresh rosemary and broth because we like it saucy. Cooked up some chopped fresh carrots and used instead of frozen carrots.
Used dehydrated Idahoan mashed potatoes and doctored them up with butter, cream and salt.
It turned out delicious!!! My husband who is a big fan of Shepherd’s pie said it was ‘Awesome’.
So happy to have another meatless option.